X-plane: The voyage of discovery begins........

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Your .cfg file appears to have done the trick.

I will test it against both XP and FSX a few times and a few cycles to make sure.

I wonder if my editing the .xml file in notepad was the culprit? Anyway I don't care as long as it works  

Have some more good karma Alex!

Thank you

Ted

**edit**Yeah all seems ok with FLogger and XP/FSX now. Did you edit the .xml in notepad or something else?

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

I edited in notepad++ which is free and great.

notepad should work fine though, it's only if you use wordpad that you can add extra problems into the file.

Glad to see your problems are sorted (for now hehehe)

[EHM-2387 Eric-Jan]

I can confirm Notepad did the trick for me as per the instructions.
Started the Tour of the Danube in X-plane yesterday, with FL4 running nicely, even saveyourflight.de and vasFMC talking nicely through XPUIPC to X-plane, so I'm pretty much set up now.

Now if only EDNE existed in the default X-Plane scenery 
Lucky for me, http://www.airports.de/component/option,com_mtree/task,viewlink/link_id,119/Itemid,99999999/lang,de/ contains a VOR and NDB freq to triangulate the position of the field. On top of that, the Twotter is made for field landings,so now I'm sitting in a field near Erbach. At least I know it's the right field And FL4 thought that I landed in the right spot as well.

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Like Eric-Jan I finally got properly airborne today with a full-on VATSIM/Propilot/FLogger PC-12 flight from CYVR (Vancouver) over to CYCG (Castlegar) and aisde from that annoying FMS acting wonky forcing me to connect FS Commander everything worked like a charm. I even used the two NDB's during the approach and swooped in for a rather nice landing if I may say so myself  .

I intend to fly the heck out of the PC-12 this weekend and am ordering the big scenery pack for the area. And by then Alexander will have told us how cool Air Hauler is for Xplane and I'll be spending more cash lol.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

As you bought from the org store you no doubt saw the discount this weekend for the UK scenery at $139.86 for all 4 packs...

Recommend the canada scenery first though.

I may have to check out VATSIM for canada flying as IVAO is pretty much empty over there. Going to be flying on IVAO tonight though hopefully.

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Yeah I am getting the Curtis scenery.

The freeware London area and major European airports do the job. I'm honestly not that fussed over UK scenery as I seem to do all my low and slow scenery flying over in the Pacific NW and Europe is normally high-altitude procedural airport-airport stuff.

I really wish my IVAO registration had not gotten borked. But VATSIM does the job well enough I guess.

[EHM-2387 Eric-Jan]

As you bought from the org store you no doubt saw the discount this weekend for the UK scenery at $139.86 for all 4 packs...

Recommend the canada scenery first though.

I may have to check out VATSIM for canada flying as IVAO is pretty much empty over there. Going to be flying on IVAO tonight though hopefully.

The Canada / Alaska packages are top of my scenery wish-list. I would like some planes as well. It all comes down to budget and priorities, I guess...

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

I really wish my IVAO registration had not gotten borked. But VATSIM does the job well enough I guess.

Send them an email and get it sorted out.

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Send them an email and get it sorted out.

I'm with Alex on this one Ted. I just attempted (on your behalf, if you will) to sign you up and got the same "Some error(s) have occurred." and it further suggests you email the IVAO membership director - md@ivao.aero (Wilfried Groetzbach - he's a lovely guy, and will do his utmost to sort out whatever is preventing you signing up).

[EHM-2381 Ted]

I'm with Alex on this one Ted. I just attempted (on your behalf, if you will) to sign you up and got the same "Some error(s) have occurred." and it further suggests you email the IVAO membership director - md@ivao.aero (Wilfried Groetzbach - he's a lovely guy, and will do his utmost to sort out whatever is preventing you signing up).

No-he is not a lovely guy:

-- On Fri, 7/1/11, Wilfried Groetzbach [IVAO-MD] <wilfried.groetzbach@ivao.aero> wrote:


    From: Wilfried Groetzbach [IVAO-MD] <wilfried.groetzbach@ivao.aero>
    Subject: Re: Unable to download or log in to web site - 358896
    To: "Ted xxxx" <xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
    Date: Friday, 7 January, 2011, 10:47

    Hallo,
     
    I don't believe, that "Au" is a real name, even your email address shows a different name.
    For verification please send us a scan copy of your identity card or passport.
     
    Kind Regards
    Wilfried Groetzbach
    IVAO Membership Director

If this dingbat thinks he is getting a scan of my ID card or passport he is sadly mistaken. I already went around in circles with this individual and can't be asked.

In the meantime I just completed the CYCG-KBJC leg in the PC-12 on VATSIM. Not only was that a bloody long flight, but I had great ATC and finished getting all my screen shots and testing the ILS functionality. I'm telling you the only thing that lets the aircraft down is that "lolFMS" and the lack of 3D eye-candy instruments....but the total function is there and what a dream to fly by hand  .

Oh and look....I'll have to do easy mode and fly a QW 757 leg to celebrate hitting the SCC mark using Xplane! Go me...and you guys for the help  .

Thats enough flying for one day. I'll get my lovely Canada scenery package downloaded this weekend and see if I can hunt up something that resembles a DH6 to use for the Wild legs.

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Send him this link: http://www.yutopian.com/names/16/16ou298.html and explain that you're not happy sending an id document.

I can understand why you can't be bothered fighting this one though. If I had to provide the id requested, I wouldn't either.

What was it you didn't like about the Wild x-plane DHC-6 Twotter?

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Nah I can't be asked dealing with it. VATSIM is fine and more than happy to have me there lol.

With regard to the XP DH6 it totally rubbed me the wrong way. And our FSX freeware Twin Otter is-even with its rough edges in the VC-an excellent aircraft model. Not having a real VC and proper instruments in the XP version makes it unappealing and I don't have the same visual out-the-window view that I think is needed for really enjoying bush flying. Aerosoft would do well to make a Twin Otter the first port over  .

I might just pick up the STM Super Cub or DH-2 for fun and keep flying the DH-6 under FSX for the time being. I need to have a good snoop around but I don't think I have seen a comparable rough-field aircraft for XP.

[EHM-2381 Ted]

I picked up and installed the whole Curtis scenery package (and the associated winter world).

I also got myself the A1A Husky payware to roll around in too.

I LOVE how this stuff just gets unzipped, dragged into the folder, and then it just works. Castlegar is just lovely to look at now. I'll do some screens later or tomorrow.

This was a reward to myself for finishing up my draft review of the PC-12 and getting it off to AVSIM for red pen evaluation. Fingers crossed they like my scribbles 

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Hope you enjoy Curtis' scenery. it makes a huge difference to the xp world up in Canada.

As an aside, my impressions so far of air hauler are a bit meh

however, I think I would say the same of the FS9/FSX version too - At the moment, I'm more into learning about online flying and the AirbusX.

I bought myself an upgrade from FSC8 to FSC9 too

I can see the appeal of Air Hauler, but it's just not for me at the moment - it deosn't improve the flying experience like FSPassengers does, and I do have trouble with the sim crashing when it tries to load some of my DRM protected payware (but not all - strange).

I can see myself using it, but not in preference to flying for Euroharmony or having a blast on IVAO (Where I had to show a VATSIM user the ropes on Friday night - hehe me with my level of knowledge).

For someone not invested in a virtual airline, the product is quite nice and certainly adds an extra dimention or purpose to the flying, it's just that I already have that in VA flying. I'll speak again when I've played with it more.

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Have you figured out how to save and export an FSC plan into XP yet?
 
I can save the plan (and the option is ticked for FSX/XP) but I never see one of those .fms plans pop up anywhere. It would certainly make that annoying XP FMS less so  .

Shame Air Hauler XP hasn't grabbed your interest yet. I never bought it simply because flying for a VA sort of accomplishes the same thing (provides a framework for flight) and the rest is sort of a bolt-on version of Railway Tycoon in a way. Which is not a bad thing. Although I'm sure you clever management types could add similar functions under ProPilot if desired.

You have DRM-protected XP add-ons?

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

I don't use the built in x-plane FMC, but last I checked you could take the plan, stick it into a website and then download from there.

There is a box to tick to export as x-plane flightplan from FSC though - maybe you just need to load the right file it produces, I know in v9 each separate file is dumped in a different subfolder.

The MU-2b Marquis, the Sequioa Falco and The CorvalisTT/Cessna 400 are DRM protected. It's fairly light - you get a pop up on first load, stick in email and password, click submit and it does all the registration in sim.

www.x-aviation.com <- some of the best addons currently available for x-plane are over there. They've just released photoscenery for Oahu (with night textures, invisible roads for traffic and no clouds on images).

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Well I spent the afternoon flying around CYCG just for the heck of it. The scenery looks nice and gave my new Husky a bit of a workout too.

I am not used to flying a tail dragger despite spending a lot of time in the Piper Cub doing the "FSX-RW Training" manual but sloppy ground handling aside on my part it was just nice to fly for the hell of it  .

The Husky is pretty cool actually and the STMA version is a really nice package. No substitute for a DH-6...but I did ask the head guy at Shade Tree and they are considering one as they already do the DH-2 and -3. The Husky is simple to fly and actually has some surprisingly sophistcated avionics including a little clip-on unobtrusive GPS unit and ADF plus a single channel radio and NAV1 slaved to the toggle RMI/VOR-ILS-GS gauge.

I'll do some images. And then I am going to have to contemplate bringing that PC-12 back from Denver to CYCG and that is a bloody long flight 

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Had my first little XP crash today. While setting up the flight I am currently doing I was spawned on a runway at KBJC which is a no-no online. So I went to the map and dragged the plane icon to a ramp....didn't like the drop spot so while still in map dragged it again and got an XP CTD lol. I went right back in and did only one drag and drop and that was fine. It broke the tires so had to reset that (I like how the cockpit filled with smoke and I was cold and dark lol).

Other than that all seems cool. I really like the realism as I took off from Denver with a heavily loaded PC-12 (just barely under MTOW) and really struggled getting to FL240.

Later this week I'm going to do a couple more legs of the Wild tour but will use the Husky (if thats ok aliased to the DH-6) just to get a taste of the scenery. No AP in the Husky so hand flying low and slow all the way  

**edit**I notice that FLogger is not picking up correct fuel. I think it is reading from only one tank overall (1073 lbs at present....thats half the current total onboard at the moment). Not a big deal...just thought you should know.

**edit**Just had the Pitot 2 warning come on and sure enough I can see some ice on the leading edge!

**edit**A quick flick thru the manual and it turns out the CP pitot heater failed. Neato lol. Hopefully nothing else goes wonky with 2 hours to go.

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Here are some newly minted images featuring the PC-12 and A1-A Husky payware as well as the Tom Curtis scenery. I have been having such a good time flying around in XP its gonna be hard to go back to fussing with FSX lol.

























Ain't that Husky panel a jaw-dropper?

XP rocks!  

**edit**One thing that is striking and that you might notice in the images is the default mesh and terrain detail as well as correct placement in XP is miles ahead of FSX. You can easily navigate VFR with accuracy and I think the changing elevations and mountains just look fabulous.

**edit**You may also notice the presence of snow lol (which I don't think native XP models with the ground textures). Its an extra package called "Winterworld" that is freeware and works seamless with the Curtis payware scenery too.

Also I should mention again the flight models for prop aircraft in XP are light-years ahead of FSX. FSX always feels a bit "on rails" where in XP you really feel a sense of accomplishment after a flight when the weather turns nasty and you can barely change the control settings because the aircraft is bouncing everywhere from turbulence 

[EHM-2381 Ted]

http://www.avsim.com/pages/0411/ShadeTree/PC12.html

Hey cool...published 

[EHM-2387 Eric-Jan]

Great review, Ted!
(and thanks for mentioning EHM )

Too bad they put FSX in the Simulation Type box of the Product info table, but I guess that's just a copy-paste error by Avsim 

I was already sure I'm going to buy this one, but this just makes me want it now already (and I'm not even done installing Heinz' GA package I bought along with XP...)

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

A very informative review there Ted, thanks for writing that up - with a Euroharmony plug no less

It's really nice to see another x-plane review on Avsim (last one I read was the MU-2).

As you now have a quite extensive knowledge of x-plane, I'll be expecting you to evangelise appropriately

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Excellent review (what I've read of it...) Will give it the attention it deserves when I get home, and as mentioned by EJ and Alex, thanks for the VA plug (eventually...)

[EHM-1997 Alexander]

Ted, I found something you might like: X-mouse button control

http://www.highrez.co.uk/

With this you can set up application profiles (like for x-plane) and intercept the mouse commands and remap them to other stuff (like key presses). This will I think allow you to remap your scroll up/down from throttle to something else.

[EHM-2381 Ted]

Cheers for the kind words guys.

I will be doing some more reviews in the weeks and months to come and will probably focus on X-plane specifically where possible.

Stay tuned! And looking forward to the new website.

p.s. That was no plug for EHM...it was the truth. You guys run a great VA and Alex was the one who pointed me at X-plane when FSX got real annoying for me. If it happens that my writing brings a couple of quality pilots your way-so much the better  .